MEGA POWER! The Smallest & Largest Sega Genesis Games

Sega Lord X
Sega Lord X
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Published 2023-02-19
This was originally a 2 part series where I went over the largest and smallest Genesis carts in megabits. I start with the smaller games and then move to the monster sizes at the end of the platform's life.

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Opening "Sega" jingle is from Astal for the Sega Saturn.

Ending Music during the credits is from Batman for the Sega Genesis.

SLX Logo
By: Jan Neves
YouTube Page - youtube.com/user/Jan3d

Intro by Evan S.
portfolio.tsestudios.com/

Episode Notes:

1. Captured on the Mega SG and real hardware.

2. 8 megabits = 1 megabyte

3. 128 kilobytes = 1 megabit

4. There are some oddball cart sizes out there. Star Control was 12 megabits and Panorama Cotton was 20 megabits.

5. The introduction of CDROM technology was huge mainly because of the storage possibilities. Where as a cartridge was huge at 32 megabits at the time, a CD could hold a whopping 5400+ megabits.

6. The reason developers didn't just start off with massive cartridge sizes in the 16-bit generation was cost. ROM was expensive and developers wanted to make money. Every increase in size increased cost, which was often passed on to the consumer. When a game had a larger cart size and things like battery backups, they tended to cost $10-$20 more than your average release. At the time of its launch in early 1990, Phantasy Star II cost $69.99 due to its 6-megabit ROM and battery backup.

7. So much was made about Strider's 8 meg showing. The magazines, the ads, the reviews, it was a real draw to see how it turned out. It was incredible that even with 8 megs, there is still heavy compression going on to make that game work. Do you notice those pauses during gameplay you feel? That's music being loaded for the next section.
All Comments (21)
  • @MyRetroLife
    I’ll never forget how big a deal it was seeing “8-Mega Memory” printed on the front cover of Strider. SUCH a big deal! We thought it was magic.
  • @embracerodusk2537
    That whole era of gaming from 16-bit through the 32/64-bit generations was such an amazing time.
  • @freddysandoval4252
    56:50 The thing that you don't mention here is that a megabit is 1/8th the size of a megabyte. So, yes you are technically correct, and that means 80 megabit cartridge would be 10 megabytes of storage space. I'm sure this was addressed in the comments of the original video you posted, but I wanted to point this out to anyone who was confused as to why the screen you show for the size of Streets of Rage 3 in storage is only 3 megabytes. That is because it is 24 megabits (Or 3 megabytes) in the way that we no longer refer to in the modern age regarding the amount of space a game requires on a storage medium. Megabits is frequently used to describe something like an internet connection speed or texture detail level, while megabytes are typically used when talking about file size or storage space.
  • @cheater00
    bro Pac Mania was the most played game i owned. it got more play time than UMK3, than Sonic 1 and 2, than Syndicate, Vectorman, Pitfall The Mayan Adventure, and even (!) NBA Jam TE. The game was so good even my mom who was completely incapable of doing anything technology related one day decided to figure out how to hook up the genesis to her tv, and learn to play it, and she enjoyed it a lot.
  • @wilkiedriver
    Sega Lord X and Game Sack on a Sunday morning. Nice.
  • @MrSez1979
    I still remember when Strider came out on the Sega Genesis... 8 Megs seemed ENORMOUS! Oh how times have changed! Lol
  • @jonathanfenton5496
    One Genesis game that might be worth looking at is F1 or Formula One. Likely the best racing game, which I realize may be a brazen statement, but for sure it never got the attention it deserved. Similar to Super Monaca but the graphics are much better.
  • @ronaldclayton4232
    I remember Phantasy Star 4 costing around $100 when it was released because of how large it was,so did the Genesis version of virtua racing but that was because of some special chip it had in it.
  • @jamesgoss1860
    I remember feeling really cheated when I came home with UMK3. The Mercy and Animality sound effects were all playable in the sound menu, so that led me to believe the moves were in the game, but I was failing to pull them off for some reason. Shortly after I learned they were all pulled. I think even Sheeva's name and voice effects were left in.
  • @bobsanderz3005
    My childhood dreams of being an Art Alive master artist never panned out. I blame the 1mb cart, of course!
  • @shenanitims4006
    “Fatal Labyrinth” would be better described as a “Rogue” like game. In that it resets every time you play.
  • @joaobabler1584
    I simply love Shove It, is so addictive, I have it even on my PSP, and I play it at least 2 times per year, along with Golden Axe 2 on Genesis and Resident Evil 2 on PS1.
  • @240Sil
    Flicky is a great game, just takes a while to grow on you.
  • @GabrielMedina1
    I know it’s double-mild weaksauce but I have so many fond memories of Art Alive! My cousins and I would draw things just to make each other laugh. Hearing that music again brought me back. Thank you! 🥲
  • @TheFLOMAN76
    I love emulation. So many great games to choose from that we never got to play when we were young. And because I'm old? I love the rewind feature. Cheating? You're damn right.
  • @mjdf122
    Without Sega Lord X There Is No SEGA Always A Pleasure To See What You Have Going On
  • @TheVanillatech
    Very nicely put together video! I had some of these games, mainly the 1-2MB carts as I'd already switched to PC by 1994 and gave my Megadrive to the young lad up the street who had nothing. Gave him my skateboard too! But I gave him that because I broke my ankle on it, and never wanted to see another skateboard for the rest of my life.